Outdated state laws threaten Nigeria’s disease outbreak preparedness — NCDC

Weak and outdated public health laws at the state level in Nigeria could significantly undermine the nation's ability to prepare for and respond to future disease outbreaks, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has warned. Dr. Jide Idris, Director-General of the NCDC, stated that many states are still operating under laws enacted several decades ago.

“

Health security cuts across many sectors and across the different levels of government. It involves Health, Agriculture, Environment, Justice, Finance, security institutions, the states and many others.

Speaking at an event in Abuja organized by Resolve to Save Lives, Dr. Idris, represented by Deputy Director Dr. Evaristus Aniaku, emphasized that states bear substantial responsibility for public health protection, as initial outbreak responses often occur at the subnational level. Despite progress in strengthening the national legal framework, a 2023 evaluation revealed persistent gaps in legal instruments, particularly at state and local government levels.

These outdated laws predate modern public health structures and practices, including Emergency Operations Centres, electronic disease surveillance, advanced laboratory systems, data protection protocols, and One Health coordination. The inadequacy of these legal frameworks became particularly evident during the COVID-19 pandemic, raising questions about authority, responsibilities, disease reporting, data sharing, movement restrictions, inter-agency coordination, and emergency financing.

“

An outbreak happens somewhere. Very often, the first response is at the state or local government level. Yet when we began looking closely at state public health laws, we found that many states were still relying on laws enacted several decades ago.

Dr. Idris stressed that while the NCDC plays a central role as the National Public Health Institute, effective implementation of health security measures requires robust legal backing across all government levels. Nigeria's obligations under the International Health Regulations necessitate maintaining the capacity to prevent, detect, and respond to public health threats, including those that can spread internationally.

“

Some of these laws were written long before Emergency Operations Centres, electronic disease surveillance, modern laboratory systems, data protection, One Health coordination and many of the structures we now rely on in public health practice.